Games You Should Really Try Part I
because you probably haven't. So a while back I started making a list of my top 100 video games of all time, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea when i was in the midst of trying new games and discovering games like To the Moon. So, instead I'll give you a bunch of really under the radar games that I've practically obsessed over at one point or another. The Hobbit (GameCube; PS2; Xbox): If you enjoyed the books, or the recent movies you'll probably like this because this is one of the better licensed games. It really feels like you're playing through The Hobbit and it follows the book fairly well, although it takes many divergence because you know... video games. If I had to lodge a complaint about the game is that the levels are long, like really long, although saving points aren't a problem. And yeah, that might be another problem, on the GameCube at least, this game's saving requires more blocks than Animal Crossing and it will not fit on the memory card that comes with the system. Other than that, it's really fun. Pandora's Box (PC): You know that one-hit wonder who had a second song that you liked more than their big hit? At least for me, this transcribes to video games as well. This game was designed by Alexey Pajitnov, creator of Tetris. In it, you go around the world correcting various works of art through nine really fun puzzle types and one puzzle type that sucks. Yeah, Image Hole can go screw itself. Luckily not one required thing to complete the game requires beating an image hole puzzle. My favorite puzzle-type was Find and Fill where a bunch of outlines are thrown into a mix and you need to fill in only the spaces of one outline, but aside from Image Hole there were no duds. Just one thing though, this is one of those annoying games that doesn't run on anything more modern than Windows XP. One of these days I'm going to buy an older PC to take care of this problem. Creatures (PC): This is a suprisingly complex game. It's essentially a virtual pet game in which you take care of koala-dog creatures called Norns and help them to survive. Teach them, help them survive, help them breed. After you teach them language, you can type in commands which they may or may not obey. The game is designed to create an emotional bond with your creature. I guess you could call this a fusion of Nintendogs and Oddworld if that makes any sense. Battle Realms (PC): Speaking of complex, Battle Realms is one of the few real-time-strategy games that I played growing up that didn't take any ques from Age of Empires II. It takes place in a world that seems to be inspired by oriental culture, and it actually has a surprisingly in-depth main campaign which I never finished because I lost the disc a long time ago. You play one of four factions/families that have completely different units and completely different outlooks. The Dragon Clan and the Serpent Clan are rather similar (the main difference is that the former doesn't believe in the use of gunpowder), but playing as the Lotus Clan is worlds different than playing as The Dragon Clan. The basic way of training solders stays the same (put the character in building to make unit), but unlocking their main heroes requires vastly different prerequisites. Stronghold (PC): This is the other real-time-strategy that didn't take its ques from Age of Empires II; it's also the first one of these games that's available on steam. Why am I so in love with the obscure stuff? I obviously didn't seek this kind of stuff out as a kid, but whatever. Anyway, the main drive in this game is keeping your citizens happy while either fending off enemy marauders or attacking them or both depending on the mission. Also, seizing an enemy's fort in an RTS has never been so in-depth. You can have your archers snipe enemy troops from watch-towers. Knights of the Temple (PC): When you think games that game from Sweden, you think Minecraft. I think Minecraft and this game. at its core, it's a pretty standard hack-and-slash game with our main character having a couple of powers to keep things interesting. The story follows a templar named Paul as he goes through some holy lands trying to track down an evil bishop. I wouldn't call it an excuse plot, but this isn't a game you play for the story. This is actually a game worth playing for the soundtrack alone. You know in certain games where you're close to death and you get some annoying beeping? Well, when you're close to death in this game, this plays: The Suffering (Xbox): A game with the horror of silent hill, but the action of modern Resident Evil and it knows how to balance the two. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (Xbox): Another really good licensed game. It's not perfect, but playing through this game really feels like you're playing through an Indiana Jones movie with its own story that didn't come from any of the movies. The game more-or-less fuses a beat-em-up with a Tomb Raider game and as a result combat is little more than just pressing random buttons, but it still feels satisfying. There are also some problems with difficulty. The first boss, a giant crocodile, can kill you in one hit, and the difficulty really ramps up when you get to Istanbul, and I'm going to punch the guy who thought it was okay to put stealth missions in non-stealth games (it only happens once). But, you use Indy's whip for some of the platforming segments (and to help with combat), the gameplay is extremely varied, you can hunt for lost treasure and artifacts, every location is interesting and unique, and you can pick up Indy's hat after it was knocked off in a combat session. Rescue Rover (MS-DOS): I remember this game. Every level you need to find your dog and return to the ladder. To do so you need to solve puzzles involving redirecting lasers, pushing blocks, etc. Why does it have to be so hard to use DOS-box Goof Troop (SNES): Second only to Zombies Ate My Neighbors as a Super Nintendo 2-player experience. You play as Max and/or Goofy as they explore an island infested with Pirates. For them to hurt an enemy, they can either chuck things at them or use a grappling hook to throw them into hazards. It's a short game, but a sweet one. If it had a fault, I guess that it really didn't have anything to do with the show Goof Troop that took place in 90's suburbia. LSD: Dream Emulator (PSX): Dreams can be weird. Other cultures can be weird. This game lets you explore the demented dreams of a Japanese woman and becomes the most terrifying game that I've ever played. Nothing is consistent. Statues you've passed by 1,000 times may suddenly get up and decide to attack you. I Am Alive (XBLA; PC): Maybe it's just that I really love the post-apocalypse setting, but I found this game to be very underrated. You play an unnamed survivor struggling to find his family through the ruins of his home city and a lot of exploration and looking for supplies pretty much uses the gameplay (with grip and all that) from Shadow of the Colossus. It was originally supposed to be a full-fledged title by Ubisoft, but after some development hell is was pushed out the door and it kind of shows. The ending comes out of nowhere for one. I don't mean that it's like a surprising revelation with the story. I mean you're playing, you're playing, sudden depressing ending. And that's all I got for now. I tried to avoid games that Extra Credits already covered and some of the more well-known "under the radar" titles like EarthBound or Beyond Good & Evil or Psychonauts. Just picked the games that I've heard pretty much no one talk about, like ever. You got any suggestions? Category:Miscellaneous